The Morrison-Joyce Government is continuing to scale back flying hours for the Air Force’s Joint Strike Fighters (JSFs), admitting this critical platform will underperform Government promises for at least the next four years.
As reported today, Government documents reveal the JSF fleet’s flying hours will be down 25 per cent on original plans for this financial year, and flying hours have been reduced by 17, 14, and 13 per cent for each of the next three financial years.
This follows the jets flying 36 per cent fewer hours than budgeted in the 2020-21 financial year, 32 per cent fewer in 2019-20, and 13 per cent fewer in the 2018-19 financial year.
The report clearly states that the revised availability is based on fleet availability issues, so the Government cannot blame the COVID-19 pandemic.
Defence Minister Peter Dutton must explain to Australians why this $16.6 billion project continues to be plagued with problems under this Government’s revolving door of Defence Ministers.
The JSF aircraft are critical to Australia’s defence, and the fact that they are flying thousands of hours less than planned is a real concern.
The Morrison-Joyce Government likes to talk big on defence and national security but they continue to mismanage key Defence projects.
How can Minister Dutton claim that he and the Government have our troops’ backs when they cannot even ensure that JSFs are available for the hours budgeted?
As always, it is the Australian Defence Force which suffers from a lack of availability of critical platforms due to the chronic mismanagement of Defence projects by this Government.